>> reporter: we've heard it often from the president. but is he right? does voting by mail lead to rigged elections? >> these are things he said >> mail-in ballots are very dangerous for this country. >> reporter: any evidence >> there is absolutely no evidence for that assertion. >> reporter: wendy tonight the wieser runs the emotional plea from george floyd's prestigious election brother, calling on program. congress to take action now. at nyu's brennan center >> in fact, all of the >> i'm here to ask you evidence is to the contrary. to make it stop, stop >> reporter: well, the pain. there have been cases >> his brother telling of fraud with mail-in lawmakers he did not or absentee ballots. experts say it is deserve to die over $20. extremely rare what he says they must do now. also, our so what about the interview with the hundreds of examples minneapolis police conservative allies of chief. what he would say if he were in the same president trump at the heritage foundation point to as incidents room with that officer of possible fraud? >> we look at the charged with george billions of votes cast floyd's murder, derek chauvin. over time. and what we're learning about the the fact they can only come up with a few plea deal that was on hundred cases, that the table before chauvin's arrest new video is emerging should give americans of deadly use of force confidence that their by police, a black man system is really secure. restrained by police >> reporter: americans have been using uttering those all too familiar words i can't breathe. absentee ballots since the civil war. an alarming surge now du california.

in covid-19 cases in several states >> anybody that walks nia is gg is it linked to those memorial day gatherings to get a ballot. the soaring cost >> reporter: not true says democratic of groceries governor gavin how much more you are paying and what stores newsom, who says he's are doing to ease the sending ballots to all pain registered voters at home the republican party fallout from the is taking him to court. election meltdown in georgia. growing demand five states already for mail-in ballots. send ballots to every but president trump voter at home. claims it will lead to fraud. without their having what our nbc news investigation found. to ask and the forces of for two decades, both change the democratic and hbo pulling "gone with republican secretaries the wind." of state in oregon and breaking news tonight, nascar banning confederate flags. have been enthusiastic supporters >> it's well embraced. >> announcer: this is >> reporter: and the system is certainly working well in colorado "nbc nightly news" amber mcreynolds ran denver's elections and seven years was with lester holt good evening, everyone the brother of murder part of the pioneering victim george floyd group that got the brought both his state to adopt it. family's grief and >> you could choose to hopes to congress go in person if you today during an emotional hearing in want washington you could choose to a tearful philonise drop off your ballot in person. floyd implored members because we also allocated 24 by 7 drop of congress to not let his big brother's death be in vain boxes. >> reporter: or you he spoke of the pain can mail it back of watching his every voter's signature is verified brother's last moments of life. and ballots can be his testimony comes as traced the way a congress considers delivery package is traced

sweeping police reforms. in fact, denver voters can receive a text when their ballot has been counted or kristen welker has details. >> he didn't deserve notified if there is a to die over $20. problem. >> you have a rigged system. >> reporter: but none of this has persuaded the president. i'm asking you is that and that concerns what a black man is weiser. >> the president of worth, $20 the united states is >> reporter: on capitol hill, an impugning the emotional and raw integrity of the entire american appeal from philonise electoral system floyd, demanding americans are more justice for his brother george. likely to be struck by lightning than to >> he pleaded for his commit voter fraud by life he said he couldn't breathe. mail or in a polling nobody cared place. >> reporter: cynthia nobody mcfadden, nbc news people pleaded for him. up next, food prices soaring they still didn't care how some stores are making changes to help justice has to be served you don't even do that to an animal his life mattered. all our lives matter black lives matter >> reporter: floyd describing the despair he felt watching an officer kneel on his brother's neck, 8 minu

that video over and over again felt like 8 hours and 46 minutes hurt seeing my brother plead for his life, watching that officer just put his knee on his neck. >> reporter: now demanding that lawmakers take action to prevent others from dying like his brother. >> honor george and make the necessary changes that make law enforcement the solution and not the problem. hold them accountable when they do something wrong. teach them what it means to treat people with empathy and respect. >> reporter: lawmakers striking a rare bipartisan note. >> today is a day to set our politics aside. >> it is not a democratic issue, a republican issue this is an american issue. >> reporter: nbc's kasie hunt on the hill >> reporter: floyd's plea was for congress to do something. but while democrats want to ban chokeholds and no knock warrants, republicans and the

president aren't ready to go that far. >> reporter: for his part president trump met with african-american media personalities and faith leaders at the white house today. he's come under fire for not yet releasing a plan to address the crisis. >> when you look at the economics, when you look at how well the black community has been doing under this administration nobody's done anything like we've done. >> reporter: the white house is also on defense after the president tweeted a baseless conspiracy theory on the day of floyd's funeral, accusing the 75-year-old protester in this video who was pushed and injured by police of a set-up based on a false report that originated on a fringe website. >> does he regret devo tweeting out the protester was assaulted. >> the president does not regret standing up for law enforcement men and women across this country. >> i just wish - >> reporter: as for philonise floyd, at times overwhelmed by grief. a simple request that his brother does not die in vain. >> wish i could get him back

>> reporter: a powerful scene unfolded across the street from the white house earlier tonight. george floyd's brother marching with protesters their fists in the air and emotions high as they called for change meanwhile, president trump announced he plans to hold a campaign rally in tulsa, oklahoma next friday his first in more than three months since the coronavirus crisis began. lester >> kristen welker at the white house, thank you. in minneapolis where george floyd died, we're hearing tonight from the police chief, including what he had to say about the officer who held a knee to floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. here's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: two weeks after violence consumed parts of minneapolis and days since the city council agreed to dismantle the police department, chief medaria arradondo details the first changes. >> race is inextricably a part of the american policing system we will never evolve in this profession if we do not address it

head-on. >> reporter: he's cutting off contract negotiations with the police union and promising to look more closely at officer performance data to identify early signs of misconduct. back now with the soaring prices at the but he's resisting grocery store, everything from meat calls to abolish his department. to eggs. jo ling kent on what's behind the rise. >> this is not a perfect system >> reporter: molly and shawn are feeling the squeeze. but -- but we need to ensure and i need to >> our grocery bill has gone up probably ensure that our 20% to 30%. communities, if they >> reporter: the seattle family with need to pick up the two growing boys now phone to call us, they will have a police response and they're eating every meal at home is reworking being protected. >> reporter: fired their budget. officer derek chauvin is charged for >> you start really second-degree murder looking at your bills and you're like, wow, and manslaughter after this is starting to be prosecutors say he painful. knelt on george floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. >> reporter: that pain is real. today we learned the cost of groceries spiked yet again in chauvin was in early may, these prices plea negotiations before his arrest, but soaring nearly 11% in just a month poultry, fish and eggs the talks fell apart. up >> if you could look nearly 4%. compared to a year and be in the same room with derek ago, it's even higher. chauvin, what would you say to him a dozen eggs up nearly >> i would not be in the same room with him, and i refuse to mention his name 21%, and beef up 17% more as several meat processing plants get back up to speed after shutdowns due to covid >> reporter: chauvin safety concerns, the and floyd both worked security at price hike also driven local club, but it by pressure on the supply chain to keep doesn't appear they up with grocery store

knew each other well maya santa maria is the club's forme owner says chauvin was aggressive. demand as people keep eating and cooking at >> he also was quick to draw with the home. >> reporter: are you pepper spray over any making any different choices, then, on little thing so if you have two girls starting a where you go shopping? >> oh, yeah, 100%. fight, he'll spray everybody. >> reporter: three we try to buy in bulk now. other officers are i have parents local, charged with aiding and abetting murder. two were rookies and and they will buy a thing of ribs or whatever is on sale their attorneys say and we'll go in with they raised concerns it on them. we'll split things >> reporter: menu about chauvin's actions. an attorney for the third officer said he's cooperating with prices will go up at authorities. restaurants, too today chief arradondo doubled down on his belief that all this family-run taco three were complicit >> i don't put restaurant, as they policies out to say reopen, the manager that you should only says she was forced to add a coronavirus react or respond if surcharge to any menu you're a two-year item with meat to cover the rising cost. member >> we're not making the same profit, but we're trying to break even because our customers are our priority or a five-year member or a ten-year >> reporter: and member. grocery stores are noticing the higher >> reporter: arradondo prices grew up in south so soon you will see minneapolis. more value packs and generic brands he's the city's first black police chief and was among several plus, discount stores officers who sued the department in 2007 like food for less, over alleged aldi and dollar discrimination. general will also try >> reporter: what toll to win over more shoppers has the last two weeks lester taken on you >> jo ling kent >> it's been tough tonight, thanks. this is a city i love. and we'll be right back this is a city that has taken me in. >> reporter: he is now encouraging the public to record their

interactions with police, to rebuild the trust that has been shattered. >> reporter: over the last two weeks, what is your biggest regret >> that humanity was not there for mr. floyd when it should have been. >> reporter: no comment today from chauvin's lawyer or the police union and we have just learned a short time ago that one of the other officers involved in this case, thomas lane, has just been released on bail. lester >> gabe gutierrez, a remarkable scene behind you barricade outside the police station thank you. as demonstrations continue across america today, more examples are emerging of police using deadly force, underscoring the sweeping demands for change and accountability we're seeing with that story, here's gadi schwartz we need to warn you, some of the images are disturbing. >> reporter: tonight more evidence of police violence as the nation grapples with policing in america. but some officials pushing back saying officers are now being targeted early this morning in california, an officer shot when someone opened fire on their police station, hitting a squad car before getting away. the suspect still at large. >> i can't breathe

>> reporter: but in protests across the country a demand for change is signs and chants o "i can't breathe," and underscored videos continuing to surface of more cases of police use of force, like the deathgton newly released home security footage and cell phone video showing glimpses of what happened three months ago when they tried to arrest ellis after reports of someone trying to open car doors. today governor jay inslee ordering an independent investigation. the officers have been placed on leave. >> all of them need to leave their jobs and if they lied about it, they need to go to jail because that's obstruction. >> reporter: another case in oklahoma city as police release new pressure from the black lives matter movement showing the moments before the death of derek ollie scott. police were called after he got in a fight at a taco truck. >> i don't care. >> i'm going to tase you. >> i got it. >> i can't breathe i can't breathe. please. >> it's re-living this

all over again is like re-living his death all over again and then watching george floyd. there is a lot of george floyds, and my son was one of them. >> reporter: the officer is officially cleared of any wrongdoing in new mexico an officer now charge with manslaughter after chasing down antonio valenzuela in what started as a traffic stop, and ended in a choke hold. >> i'm going to [ bleep ] choke you out, bro >> we're seeking justice. we're seeking a stop and end to violence upon citizens by bad cops >> reporter: in austin, police video shows a man named javier ambler, telling officers he couldn't breathe after holding him down and tasing him four times. >> i can't breathe >> reporter: an internal affairs review concluded the deputies followed guidelines. that incident now also under investigation. >> i'll give my life in return for my son to be here. >> reporter: police unions say out of the millions of interactions they have with the public, the majority don't result in violence. >> 375 million interactions, overwhelmingly positive responses

i am not derek chauvin. they are not him he killed someone. we didn't. >> reporter: but as more videos come to light, there are calls for oversight, sweeping police reform, the banning of chokeholds and a full review of use of force and a growing list of cases now being re-examined and scrutinized by society as a whole. gadi schwartz, nbc news, los angeles. these demands for racial justice are not going unheard. tonight we are witnessing a number of cultural shifts. many say are a long in our latest installment of time coming. "nightly news" kids edition, the dos and with that, here's don'ts for families when it comes to blayne alexander wearing those cloth masks. and a >> reporter: it's an american movie classic. nine-year-old who grabbed her friends and turned her known for its swirling driveway into a score and unforgettable cast vehicle for change after protests erupted in minneapolis >> frankly, my dear, i don't give a damn. our new episode is streaming now. that's "nightly news." >> now "gone with the i'm lester holt. wind" is temporarily please take care of gone from streaming yourself and each other. service hbo max. good night the kill -- film

criticized for romanticizing slavery. the film will return with a discussion of its historical content and a denouncement of those very depictions. >> is this change necessary? >> i think it's a good idea we're at a crucial historic moment in our nation's consciousness. there is a great deal of heightened awareness. at the pervasiveness of racism. and a great film, a very entertaining film, a much enshrined film has that racism built into it. i think it is important to have this context now. >> reporter: this comes as americans are looking at cultural staples through a new lens in the wake of recent protests. >> kelly: ♪ party girls don't get hurt ♪ after 32 ♪ can't feel anything, when will seasons, paramount is it learn ♪ canceling the season "cops. ♪ push it down, push it down an unscripted reality show following police officers on the job. ♪ i'm the one for a good time this cultural reckoning comes amid a call ♪ renewed push by several states to get ♪ phone is blowing up, they're rid of confederate monuments. ringing my doorbell formal i and late today nascar announcing a ban on confederate flags from feel the love, feel the love ♪ all racetracks saying it runs contrary to ♪ one, two, three, one, two, our commitment to three, drink ♪ providing a welcoming and inclusive ♪ one, two, three, one, two, environment for fans three, drink ♪

but as some push to ♪ one, two, three, one, two, rename u.s. three, drink ♪ military bases named after confederate ♪ throw them back till i lose leaders, president trump says his count ♪ administration will ♪ i'm gonna swing from the not even consider the renaming of these chandelier ♪ magnificent and fabled military installations. >> i think trump is, you know, saying what side he's on but what i do notice ♪ from the chandelier is that the ground is shifting and that ♪ i'm gonna live like tomorrow there are more people who are demanding a st ♪ fly like a bird different america. >> reporter: now new signs that america may be listening blayne alexander, nbc news, atlanta. tonight the country has reached another sobering milestone in the coronavirus pandemic, through the night, feel my tears surpassing 2 million cases. as they dry ♪ and this warning sign: hospitalizations are ♪ i'm going to from the surging in many states here's tom costello. >> reporter: at houston's methodist hospital covid-19 hospitalizations are once again surging, up 40%. most, but not all of the sickest patients, elderly. >> i think memorial day was a big factor i mean, we really saw that six days after memorial day we saw

even more acceleration at that point in time i think people have let their guard down >> reporter: same story in phoenix. >> we have certainly seen an increased number of cases of covid-19 disease of patients that are positive. >> reporter: texas and arizona among at least nine states reporting a jump in hospitalizations the best indicator of the virus's toll arkansas, california, north and south carolina, mississippi, oregon and utah also on the list. now the american nurse's association reports 79% of nurses say they are once again being encouraged or required to reuse their ppe. >> now gowns are in short supply, and the wipes that we use to clean medical equipment, it keeps shifting, but the shortages are still very much there. >> reporter: as states expand testing, the number of confirmed cases now 2 million, with 113,000 deaths. 883 deaths just yesterday. meanwhile, america continues to reopen. from airline passenger

traffic to the navy pier in chicago to the mall of america in minneapolis to miami beach. >> i think that the beach is one of the safest places you can be we're outside. the breeze is going. >> reporter: the good news tonight, three vaccine candidates will enter phase three clinical trials this summer fda approval could come by early 2021 how quickly can americans get a vaccine? >> we're hoping as we get to the spring of next year, we'll have something that can actually be used for patients. >> reporter: meanwhile, not every state has seen an increase in hospitalizations new jersey reporting a 40% decrease over the last two weeks lester >> all right tom costello, thanks in 60 seconds, voting by mail, what our nbc news investigation foun

an investigation is under way tonight into the hours long lines to vote yesterday in georgia for many it is another argument in favor of mail-in voting something a number of states are expanding due to covid-19. president trump has said mail-in ballots

lead to widespread fraud. that's not what our cynthia mcfadden found.